Prosecutor: Fatal Eaton County police shooting was justified

February 13, 2018

BROOKFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A prosecutor says two mid-Michigan sheriff's officers were justified in fatally shooting a man who rammed his pickup truck into their vehicles following a chase.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor of Lisa McCormick of Ingham County announced Tuesday that a detective and a deputy from Eaton County "acted reasonably when they used deadly force" against 64-year-old Robert Claude Smith of rural Brookfield Township to defend themselves against a threat of death or serious bodily injury. The shooting occurred Nov. 28
The Ingham County Prosecutor's Office took over the case after Eaton County prosecutors claimed a conflict of interest.
State police say the officers had gone to Smith's home with an arrest warrant charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. One officer suffered minor injuries in the incident.